American Airlines Flight Cancellations Triple, Judge Orders Mechanics to Stop 'Interference'
American Airlines just scored a big victory in its ongoing labor dispute with its mechanics. At 5 p.m. CT on Friday, a judge issued a temporary restraining order against AA mechanics and its unions to refrain from "any form of interference with American's airline operations," according to The Dallas Morning News.
In the scathing order, the judge notes that the restraining order is "warranted" because American is likely to succeed on the merits of its claims that the union is violating relevant labor laws.
An American Airlines spokesperson says that the airlines is "pleased with the Court's decision to grant a temporary restraining order requiring the TWU-IAM Association to comply with its legal obligations and end the illegal slowdown." The airline heralds the "highly-skilled mechanics" who maintain the company's aircraft and says that it looks forward to working with them to "get back to running the most efficient operation" for customers.
This order comes just a few days after the union took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal warning investors that the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and Transport Workers Union (TWU) would "continue to resist AA's unacceptable demands even if it means a strike action." In an employee town hall meeting, TWU president John Samuelsen threatened the "bloodiest, ugliest battle that the United States labor movement ever saw." The union posted the tape of this interaction on YouTube.
In Friday's ruling, the unions are ordered to take specific steps to prevent a slowdown, from distributing a notice to its members to not engaging in "any concerted refusal to perform normal operations." This notice must be posted on the unions' websites, social media accounts and nonpublic communication "including any text message distribution lists, or similar systems." The unions are ordered to appear before the court at 10 a.m. CT Tuesday to prove that these orders have been fulfilled.
In the temporary restraining order filed by the airline earlier in the day Friday, the airline stated that in the "23 days since American filed its lawsuit, American has experienced 722 flight cancellations due to the maintenance slowdown." That's more than 31 maintenance cancellations per day for the last few weeks. American Airlines' states that these maintenance cancellations have affected more than 175,000 passengers in the past 23 days.
AA notes that the 722 flight cancellation amount is "almost 70% of the number of total maintenance cancellations it endured during the entire 14-week period" since filing the lawsuit. This indicates that there were at least 1,032 maintenance-related cancellations total during that period — or around 10.5 per day.
That means that maintenance-related cancellations have nearly tripled since American Airlines filed a lawsuit claiming that the mechanics were intentionally slowing down work to delay American's operations. So, a situation that was already bad seems to have suddenly became much, much worse.
Analysis submitted with American Airlines' motion states that "there have been 16 outlier days for maintenance cancellations after controlling for factors systematically related to maintenance cancellations. The probability that this is random as opposed to the result of concerted behavior is far less than one in several billion."
In the ruling, the judge found that "large numbers of the traveling public are likely to be deprived of transportation services, causing serious and substantial damage to the public interest" if the temporary restraining order wasn't issued.
As the order "merely requires the Union to satisfy its existing legal obligations," the judge states that the injury to the union from such an order would "be inconsequential when compared with the loss and hardship that American, its customers, and the public will suffer" without the order.
For the latest travel news, deals and points and miles tips please subscribe to The Points Guy daily email newsletter.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.